The 2016-17 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected by team performance at the state meet, as well.

Wrestlers of the year were determined by a formula which took the following information into account: season record; season winning percentage; type of wins at state (pin, tech fall, major decision); strength of a weight classification’s bracket; and multiple championships.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

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Class 5A

Josiah Rider. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

Wrestler of the year: Josiah Rider, Grand Junction

Coach of the year: Sam Federico, Pomona

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Class 4A

Hunter Willits. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Wrestler of the year: Hunter Willits, Pueblo County

Coach of the year: Eddie Soto, Pueblo County

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Class 3A

Jody Sandoval II. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Wrestler of the year: Jody Sandoval II, Fort Lupton

Coach of the year: Ryan Linsacum, Valley

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Class 2A

Jacob Rodriguez. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Wrestler of the year: Jacob Rodriguez, Rocky Ford

Coach of the year: Mike Jurney, Rocky Ford

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER – Rocky Ford is back on top the Colorado wrestling world.

After entering Saturday sitting third in the race for the Class 2A team title, the Meloneers put together an emphatic performance that began in the fifth- and third-place matches and rolled all the way through the finals at Pepsi Center – running away with the state championship.

The team title is the second in three years for Rocky Ford, which won in 2015 and finished runner-up a year ago, just a single point behind Meeker – one of the two teams that had an edge over the Meloneers after day two of the three-day tournament.

It also marked the 12th wrestling championship in program history, now more than any other school among all classifications.

“That was an outstanding day. You couldn’t finish the day any better than they did,” coach Mike Jurney said. “They’ve been focused on that goal after losing by one point last year. Our theme all year was ‘Do more’, and they did today.”

Jacob Rodriguez. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Headlining Rocky Ford’s championship run was senior Jacob Rodriguez, who kicked the opening finals match off with a win by pin in the 106-pound weight class. Rodriguez, the No. 1 seed, pinned Chris McKenna of John Mall in 3:49, his longest-lasting duel in the state tournament by far.

Rodriguez had blazed through Thursday’s and Friday’s matches, posting wins by pin in 0:14, 0:45 and 1:01 – competing for only a collective two minutes before Saturday’s final. The individual title was his third-straight, all at 106 throughout his high-school career (finished third as a freshman in 2014).

“It feels pretty great knowing that I’m the second three-time state champ in Rocky Ford (history), and having everyone’s support – even the people watching at home,” Rodriguez said. “It took the rest that I had to try to force (McKenna’s) other shoulder down to get that fall for my team.”

The Meloneers continued to roll in the ensuing 113 match as sophomore Dillon Jaramillo won by 3-2 decision over Sergio Campos of Hotchkiss. Also bringing home an individual title for Rocky Ford was senior Cody Venem, who defeated top-ranked Marshall Ross of John Mall by 9-3 decision at 132.

Andreatta reclaims top spot on podium

Jonathan Andreatta. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

There’s one match that will always haunt John Mall’s Jonathan Andreatta. It now stings a little less, however, thanks to his performance on Saturday.

After winning state titles his freshman (106 in 2014) and sophomore (113 in 2015) seasons, Andreatta’s vision for the prestigious four-peat was abruptly derailed last year when he lost in the 120 finals to Quinton Montague of Centauri, which now wrestles in 3A.

His response? A revenge tour.

Andreatta rattled off 37 wins since that last defeat here a year ago, completing an undefeated run to reestablishing himself as a state champion (126) for his third-career title.

“It drove me every single day,” Andreatta said. “I kept that second-place medal, and it was hung up in the wrestling room. Whenever it got tough, I stared right at it. It was ‘don’t quit, otherwise this is going to happen again’.”

Gaede also caps undefeated season

Limon junior Kaleb Gaede’s undefeated season came down to the wire as he found himself tied 4-4 with Norwood/Nucla’s Ethan Barnes with only seconds remaining.

He then flipped his opponent with only a second to spare, winning by pin in 5:59 to finish 37-0 overall and the 220 champion.

“It feels phenomenal. There’s no feeling that can beat this,” Gaede said. “I could care less about wins and losses. It’s whatever makes you better for this tournament. Undefeated doesn’t mean much. But that title means everything.”

2A individual champions

Peyton senior Britton Holmes repeated as state champion with a 5-3 decision over Ignacio’s Ethan Appenzeller at 145. That’s back-to-back titles now for Holmes, who won at 138 in 2016.

Norwood/Nucla boasted three individual champions in senior Hayden Harris, who won at 152 by 4-3 decision; junior Aidan Dabal, whose pin in 3:09 claimed 160; and senior Trenton Armintrout at 170 by 1-0 decision.

John Mall had two champions as freshman Wesley Vanmatre won 120 by 6-3 decision and senior Jason Murphy claimed 195 by 3-2 decision.

Lyons junior Keegan Bean had a 7-5 victory at 182. Meeker senior Sheridan Harvey won 138 by 4-2, and Paonia senior Trver Smith closed the tournament out with a 4-3 decision win at 285.

Jonathan Andreatta, right. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Jonathan Andreatta’s quest for redemption took all of 50 seconds to get underway.

After failing to capture his third state title last season, the John Mall senior was all business in the first round of the Class 2A state wrestling tournament. He beat Cheyenne Wells’ Jade Cozart in less than a minute to advance to the second round, which will begin on Friday.

“I just wanted to get out there and get the pin,” Andreatta said. “I wanted to get rested up for tomorrow.”

He’s coming off a disappointing loss to Quenton Montague in last year’s 120-final. He hasn’t competed at Pepsi Center since that loss, and walking around the catacombs did bring back some tough memories of that defeat.

“Walking through these halls, I’ve had some recurring nightmares,” he said. “That kind of sucked, but I’ve practically forgotten about that and I’m ready for this year.”

And he has shown that on the mat. Andreatta’s loss in that state title match is his last loss in high school competition.

When looking to get back to that top spot on the podium, he came into the 2016-17 season tackling only the obstacle directly in front of him.

“I’m just focused on the quarterfinals,” he said. “I’m just taking it one match at a time. It’s just another day.”

He’ll be back on the mat Friday at 9:30 a.m., taking on Cameron Holmes from Wiggins. Holmes advanced with a 15-4 major decision over Chris Lovato from Hotchkiss.

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Pin stats

• Paonia’s Trevor Smith had the fastest pin of the 2A/3A prelims — it took him 10 seconds to win his first-round match in the 2A 285-pound bracket.
• Rocky Ford’s Jacob Rodriguez had the first match of the day at 2A 106 pounds, and he made it a short one. The senior, a two-time champion, pinned Rye’s Zachary Ruiz in 14 seconds.
• Rodriguez’s teammate, Carlos Magdaleno, pinned his opponent in 15 seconds at 160 pounds.
• One other wrestler, Trenton Armintrout of Norwood/Nucla, had a pin in less than 20 seconds. He won his first-round match in 19 seconds.
• Trinidad’s Jesus Diaz had the fastest pin in 3A’s first round, winning in 27 seconds.
• There were a total of 100 pins in during the 2A/3A prelims, including 27 that happened in less than a minute.
• Meeker and Paonia each had seven pins as a team.

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Notables

Natalie Benavides. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

• Natalie Benavides of Del Norte, the lone female qualifier at the state tournament this season, was pinned in her first-round match by Meeker’s Sheridan Harvey. She moves to Friday’s consolation round. Benavides is the eighth girl to ever qualify for the state tournament.
• Platte Valley leads the 3A team race after the prelims with 21 points. Defending champion Valley is in second with 19.5, following by Jefferson (19). La Junta and Sheridan are tied in fourth with 16 points.
• Rocky Ford is out front in the 2A standings, leading with 37.5 points. Meeker (30) is second, followed by Paonia (28), John Mall (26) and Fowler (20).
• Alamosa’s Isaiah Delacerda, wrestling in 3A’s 113-pound division, began his quest for a third title with a pin of Fort Lupton’s Derrian Jaramillo in 1:35.
• Fort Lupton’s Jody Sandoval II pinned Eaton’s Jackson Contreras in 33 seconds at 3A 126. Sandoval is a two-time champion.
• The 285-pound bracket in 3A figures to be highly competitive. Among the field: Mullen’s Sam Deseriere, a returning champion who is unbeaten; Sheridan’s Ricky Ayala, another returning champion; and Bayfield’s Sam Westbrook, another unbeaten. All three won their first-round matches.
• Each of the 11 returning champions and four unbeaten wrestlers in 2A and 3A won their first-round matches.

Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

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On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

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Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

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Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

[divider]

Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

[divider]

Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

[divider]

Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton, left, will wrestle for a fourth state title on Saturday night after winning in the semifinals on Friday. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — T.J. Shelton will have a shot at a fourth-straight wrestling championship on Saturday night.

Shelton, the Meeker senior who has won titles his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, pinned Paonia’s Jeramiah Hillman in the semifinals of the Class 2A 170-pound bracket at the state wrestling tournament on Friday night. The match lasted 3 minutes and 58 seconds.

Now, Shelton has a chance to join elite company and become the state’s 19th four-time champion. He will face Centauri’s Chris Martin in the final.

Shelton has advanced to the finals with three pins, including a match earlier Friday in the quarterfinals.

Two sets of twin brothers advance to Saturday’s finals

Matt Finesilver gets his arm raised after winning his 152-pound semifinal match. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The first person ton congratulate Cherry Creek senior Matt Finesilver on his win in the 5A 152-pound semifinal match was his twin brother, Josh.

Both Finesilver brothers will be wrestling for state titles Saturday night. Josh had advanced earlier in the 126-pound bracket and is looking to win his first championship.

Matt won the 152-pound title last year.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Matt said. “I probably get more nervous to watch his matches than I do to wrestle in mine.”

If the post-match behavior is any indicator, Josh probably feels the same way. Having already advanced, Josh was pacing around like a madman as he waited on his brother.

In 4A, another set of twin brothers will be trying to bring home individual titles. Grant and Hunter Willits each won state championships in 2014, but Grant was disqualified last year after missing weight the morning of quarterfinals.

On track for three titles

Heading into Friday night’s semifinals, there were eight wrestlers who had a chance to win three titles. After the semis, all eight of those remain on track.

John Mall junior Jonathan Andreatta narrowly advanced to the championship match in 2A 120 with a 6-3 win over Moises Juarez of Monte Vista.

Pueblo County’s Hunter Willits, another junior, also won, as mentioned above via his 14-1 major decision.

The six others? Well, all pinned their respective opponents:

• Paonia’s Bo Pipher (2A 145) over Highland’s Bryson Fogg in three minutes.
• Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate (3A 160) beat Sergio Campos of Hotchkiss in 1:16.
• Dalton Robertson of Weld Central (3A 182) pinned Sterling’s Patrick Holtzhauser in 1:49.
• Sam Turner of Discovery Canyon (4A 138) beat Thompson Valley’s Braydon Besse in 1:04.
• Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride (4A 285) fell Montrose’s Sam Distel in 29 seconds.
• Parker Simington of Thompson Valley (4A 160) over Pueblo East’s Zion Freeman in 2:25.

Pomona’s Tomas Gutierrez also entered the tournament with two previous championships, but he fell in the quarterfinals of 5A’s 120-pound bracket.

How other returning champions fared

Aside from that group, every other returning champion that was alive entering the semifinals advanced to a final.

That means that on Saturday evening, a total of 24 wrestlers will have a chance to repeat as champions. The breakdown is as follows: There are six returning wrestlers still alive in both 2A and 3A, nine from 4A, and three remaining in 5A.

Barker’s tournament comes to an end

Kaley Barker, the seventh girl to qualify for the state wrestling tournament, was eliminated from the competition with a loss to Thompson Valley’s Kasey Gault in the second round of the consolation bracket of the 4A 106 field.

Gault won, 11-5.

Barker became just the fourth girl to win a match at the tournament in the first round of the consolation bracket on Friday morning.

Team race update

The closest race is shaping up to be in 2A, where Centauri and Meeker head into Saturday tied with 110 points. Centauri has four finalists, and Meeker has three. And, of course, the two teams will face off in the 170-pound final as Shelton seeks his fourth championship.

Narrowly behind them in third place is Rocky Ford with 104.5 points.

In 3A, two-time defending champion Valley looks to have a firm grip. The Vikings lead the field with 112 points, ahead of second-place Dolores Huerta’s 91.5.

Pueblo County continues to head the 4A race, and now has 157 points. Greeley Central is second with 105.

Likewise, Pomona has held firm in 5A with 100 points. Pine Creek has 78 points, and is second. Legacy is third with 74.

Notables

• Highland senior Morgan Fogg advanced to the final in 2A’s 126-pound bracket with a pin of Paonia’s Sackett Chesnik in 3:46. He is actually a defending champion, having won 4A’s 113 title last season while at Thompson Valley. Fogg transferred to Highland.
• Buena Vista’s Keegan Wentz pinned his opponent, Ethan Barnes of Norwood/Nucla in 15 seconds in the 2A 220 semifinals to reach the final. Wentz is a returning champion, having won 2A’s 182 title last season.
• Centauri’s Zach Martin ended a perfect season for Merino’s Trevor Elliott in the 2A 106 semifinals with a 6-0 decision. Elliott is now 33-1. Martin will wrestle for a title on Saturday.
• Another unbeaten lost for the first time when Widefield’s Kris Davis beat Aron Pino Valenzuela of Littleton in sudden victory. Davis will wrestle for a title in 4A’s 220-pound division.
• Here is a look at Saturday’s schedule.

More coverage

• Valley’s Macoy Flanagan is one win away from tying the state record for wins in a season.
• Photos from the second day of the tournament, including the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
• Complete results from all classes and weights.
• Replay the day via our live coverage.